The Flexible working policy proposed by local NHS management has been condemned and rejected by UNISON's Suffolk Healthcare branch as being totally inadequate and inflexible. Union officials at the next Staff group will meet shortly to propose major reworking of the policy document. 28/01/03

Home life undermined by work pressures? Thinking about starting a family? Need time off to study? Struggling with childcare commitments? Then a better work-life balance could be just what you need.

Getting the right balance between work and home life is vitally important. Working excessively long hours is linked to ill health, stress and low productivity and is one of the major barriers to women’s advancement. And with an ageing workforce, more jobs being created for women and decreased job security, a better work-life balance is becoming a must. People are demanding and expecting working practices that address their needs within the context of a new century.

In December 2002 the government announced a £4.8m work-life balance package to be dished out to 233 companies employing more than 830,000 people throughout the UK. The so-called Challenge Fund will help employees and employers adopt more flexible work practices such as job-sharing and telecommuting.

Some organisations are also reviewing working hours in order to curb ‘presenteeism’ or a long hours culture and introducing flexitime, compressed working weeks, job-sharing, annualised hours, tele-working and term-time working.

But research suggests only around half of employees currently have the opportunity of any type of flexible working arrangement. Only a third have access to a flexitime scheme and less than a fifth have the option to job-share.

Gradually, though, we are seeing signs of progress. The Work-Life Balance project at Rochdale Council began in October 2000. A small steering group was set up which included the UNISON branch secretary. Pilot projects have been developed, which are specific to the needs of each service and the staff within it.

The focus is on addressing the work-life balance needs of all employees within the team. Teams have the choice of applying work-life balance options which include: flexible working hours; compressed hours; or working at home. Most have simply introduced more flexible working hours with less rules.

And at Nottingham Trent University, UNISON successfully submitted a bid to the Challenge Fund to address recruitment and retention issues. The project is being piloted in a single faculty along with a central department. All staff, both academic and support staff, are taking part in the exercise and it is hoped to roll it out to the rest of the university after completing the first phase.

The main issues to emerge were around child care, care for elderly relatives, staff not valued, insufficient time for home activities and staff not being able to take their full holiday entitlement because of workload. The project is continuing.

More on UNISON’s work-life balance campaign at:
www.unison.org.uk/worklifebalance

Kieran Wyatt
k.wyatt@unison.co.uk